Syllabus

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

EDU 810 – Ethical Leadership – Spring B 2022

Credits - 3

Description

This course examines traditional philosophical and ethical frameworks as well as moral development in terms of how transformative leaders can practically apply these concepts to teaching, learning and educational leadership. Students explore approaches to moral and ethical reasoning and will use these approaches to discuss ethical dilemmas related to leading change in schools, agencies, and organizations.

Materials

Required:

Cahn, S. (2019). Exploring ethics: An introductory anthology. (5th ed.).  Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190887902. E-text 9780190887933

Supplemental:

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP). https://plato.stanford.edu/

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://www.iep.utm.edu

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). ISBN: 9781433832154. E-text: 9781433832185

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students will be introduced to a number of theories of moral behavior and, using case studies of ethical dilemmas in leadership, will learn to evaluate the relevance and efficacy of various moral philosophies to ethical decision making. On completion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. Define moral philosophy (ethics) and differentiate it from feelings, religion, law, and cultural relativism.
  2. Differentiate among the fundamental philosophical frameworks of ethics: deontology, consequentialism,  and value/virtue ethics.
  3. Evaluate multiple perspectives on and responses to ethical dilemmas using applied ethical theories and tools.
  4. Practice the process of deliberating and making decisions about ethical dilemmas.
  5. Develop a personal theoretical framework to guide your leadership practice based on moral philosophies (ethics) introduced in this course.

Assignments

There are seven graded discussions and three graded assignments in this course. The first written assignment occurs in Week 3 and is an analysis of an ethical dilemma from the student’s professional experience, using the theories that were studied in the first three weeks’ readings. The second assignment, due in Week 5, is an annotated outline that will be used to guide the final assignment in Week 7, which is a summary of the student’s personal philosophy of ethics as it relates to leadership.

Discussion forums are an integral part of this course. Student-to-student and student-to-teacher dialogue around course content will primarily occur in the Class Discussion areas. Your first post should be submitted by the day specified in the prompt. Respond to your classmates’ posts throughout the rest of the week. The minimum number of substantive, meaningful responses you should make before the end of the learning week is two. If you are aiming for a High Pass in the course, you should go significantly beyond minimum expectations.  

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

WeekAssignmentPoints
1-87 Graded Discussions @ 5 points each35
3Assignment #1 Ethical Dilemma Analysis and Reflection20
6Assignment #2 Annotated Outline of Personal Philosophy Statement15
8Assignment #3 Ethical Philosophy of Leadership (or Practice)30
TOTAL100

The criteria for all courses in the Ed. D. program are described in the modules and/or rubrics. Assignments will include guidelines with rubrics, descriptions of expectations, or examples, and include point values. Coursework will be assessed and graded using individual evaluation protocols that are provided for the three major assignments. Final “grades” will reflect the following schema:

  • High Pass (HP): Work that exceeds all or most of the criteria of the respective assignment. To receive a high pass the work must demonstrate exceptional command and display of all or most required elements;
  • Pass (P): Work that meets all requirements and expectations as specified in assignments, and is fully satisfactory in every respect;
  • Low Pass (LP): Work is deemed unsatisfactory.

Note** The instructor will determine if an assignment may be revised and resubmitted for rescoring. Candidates may proceed to subsequent courses in the curriculum with one LP grade, and although there is no failing grade, a second LP course grade results in termination from the doctoral program.

All assignments are to be completed in a timely manner with appropriate accuracy, detail, thought and reflection fitting of doctoral-level degree candidates. All assignments (done in writing or with other media applications) are graded on the basis of faculty assessment of your ability to accurately apply concepts from readings, organization, and mechanics. See the appendices for grading rubrics. Please note that you must save all submitted documents in Microsoft Word in order for them to transmit successfully. All work must be properly identified and include author(s)’ name(s). Submit all written work in APA style.

Schedule

Week 1: 3/2 – 3/6
Week 2: 3/7 – 3/13
Week 3: 3/14 – 3/20
Week 4: 3/21 – 3/27
Week 5: 3/28 – 4/3
Week 6: 4/4 – 4/10
Week 7: 4/11 – 4/17
Week 8: 4/18 – 4/24

EDU 810 COURSE SCHEDULE

Week #: Dates

Topic

Assignments

Assignment Due Date

Week 1:

 

Introduction to Ethical and Moral Philosophy

Online reading and Videos

Week 1 Discussion (ungraded): Introduction

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET FRIDAY; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 2:

 

Deontology, Consequentialism, & Virtue/Value Ethics

Read Cahn, Chapters 1-3 and 12-17

Read King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Week 2 Discussion

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 3:

 

Moral Challenges: Putting the Three Fundamental Frameworks to the Test

Read Cahn, Chapters 4 – 11

Online Videos in course

Week 3 Discussion

Assignment #1: Ethical Dilemma Analysis and Reflection Paper

Assignment #1: due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 4:

 

Twists on the Three Fundamental Frameworks

Read Cahn, Chapter 18 – 21

Read Popper’s Negative Utilitarianism (utilitarianism.com)

Week 4 Discussion

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 5:

 

Ethical Problems with Imperfect Solutions

Read Cahn, Chapters 50 & 51

Read online articles in course

Week 5 Discussion

Assignment #2: Annotated Outline of Ethical Philosophy of Leadership (or Practice)

Assignment #2: due by 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday.

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 6:

 

Group Ethics: Accountability & Responsibility

Online articles and podcast in course

Week 6 Discussion 

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 7:

 

Power & Ethics

Online articles and podcast in course

Week 7 Discussion

Assignment #3: Ethical Philosophy of Leadership/Practice

Assignment #3: due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Week 8:

 

Turbulence Theory

Read Shapiro & Gross, Chapter 3: Turbulence Theory

Week 8 Discussion

*Initial Discussion Board posts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday; responses are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on FRIDAY.

 

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page

UNE Libraries:

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AI Use

The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.